Lost in Paradise: A Different Direction
by ChaosSpartan575
Summary: An alternate take on how Nox could have influenced the Mass Effect universe in my story, Lost in Paradise.


A/N: I have a new story here that is a different spin on Lost in Paradise. I will still update Lost in Paradise, so fans of that don't worry. Reviews and criticism are welcome. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Mass Effect.

 **One Hundred Fifty Years before Eden Prime**

She never expected to sacrifice herself to save the galaxy. It just sort of happened. The Emperor had to be destroyed and destroyed he was. It was funny really that she, Darth Nox, Dark Council member of the Sith Empire was the Galaxy's savior. It must have left a bad taste in the mouth of the Republic. No doubt Darth Ravage was happy, but the rest of the Dark Council like Marr, Vowrawn and Acina, probably new their chances of defeating the Republic have just dropped even more without her. No amount of Isotope-5 could let them come back from this. Hell, if it wasn't for her they wouldn't have even had the Isotope-5 to begin with.

It was a tiny piece of regret knowing the Empire would probably fall without her. Shame really, she worked so hard to preserve it as well as change it for the better. In the end, she was thrust into a new reality by her sacrifice and would probably never get back.

This new reality seemed worse off in fact. Its technology was comparable to a steaming pile of Reek shit. Although she did fall in love with her Omni-tool as it was much handier. It was like having all her gadgets in one tiny little wristband computer. The lack of instant galaxy wide communication outside simple quantum entanglement was really the only drawback to the fantastic little device. She did manage to upgrade it a bit with some programming from her reality. It ran much more smoothly now. It was funny really, she could barely read or write to save her life, but programming droids or computers was second nature to her.

The rest of the tech was inferior to say the least, this reality's largest ship was only a kilometer high and about half a kilometer wide. While it was about average for the smaller military vessels of her reality, the element zero was so limiting. Many of the vessels the Empire and Republic built could dwarf the _Destiny Ascension_ as the Asari called it. They never even sought out an alternative route of technology. Mass Effect fields were great for some things she granted that, but to base every shred of tech in the galaxy on them was foolish and counterproductive.

Another thing was that they didn't even have blasters, just little grains of metal flung at near light speeds. Regardless of how much faster they traveled compared a blaster bolt, it was still frustrating as they didn't deflect off her lightsaber. They just fizzled and sometimes let out a low pop when she tried to deflect them. She did wonder if she could create a mass effect accelerated plasma bolt. It was something to do when she had time she supposed.

While many of these things drove her crazy, the kicker was there were no humans. She was the first and last of her kind. She let out a huff as she walked.

 _I should have let that annoying Jedi knight do the honors of killing the Emperor. Then I wouldn't be in this mess,_ she thought as she walked through the streets of the piss hole mining station that went by the name of Omega.

She turned heads of various alien races as she walked by. Her black robes, hood, and the long cylinder hanging on her hip no doubt made her stand out even without her sinister reputation on the station. The mask might have had something to do with it too. Her ancestor, the Sith Lord Kallig's mask often had that effect. Most of the time she didn't wear it, but it was a Forcesend when she arrived. With it she could pass as one of those Asari women with it on. It was not that she didn't admire the Asari, an entire race of only women sounded like one of her fantasies when she thought about it. What was truly worth admiring however was their ability to mate with any other race virtually ensuring their long term viability for eons. It sounded almost engineered to be honest in the grand scheme of things. Her deductions brought on memories of a hyperactive archeologist which she was proud to call a friend. She smiled at the memory of Talos, the archeologist's deductive reasoning must have been wearing off on her.

She continued to walk through the streets to the penthouse she "acquired" by literally throwing the former resident out the window about ten years ago when she first arrived. She entered the building, despite looking like hell in the outside. The building was built remarkably well. She learned quickly that gang wars in this district were common and buildings needed to be able to resist stray rocket fire from time to time.

She herself had quite the reputation as practically no information on her existed. Even the Shadow Broker had nothing really concrete due to her connection to the Force. It allowed her to sense the thoughts and feelings of others which made it easy to pick out spies and interrogate traitors. She often loaned herself out as a truth detector among the Merc gangs. She made a killing off their infighting. She had even started raise her own mercenary gang and information web.

Aria, the station's self-styled Queen, seemed to become more wary of her as well. While Nox admired the woman's ruthlessness and pure strength of will. The Asari's bravado and hostility annoyed Nox to no end. Of course the Asari would be dealt with in time after she had secured a more grounded power base on the station.

She walked into the elevator and waited patiently for it to arrive at her suite while drab music played. A constant in all realities some could say as Imperial ships and buildings shared this trait as well. When the door opened to the top level, it revealed a large spacious room colored in various shades of black and white. Her designer from Illium picked out for her about a year ago. Perhaps it was time for a change. She had the funds to redo everything and more after all. Though perhaps more of that money could be better used to outfit her growing Merc band.

She darkened the windows and pulled her hood and back and unclipped her helm and her fiery red hair fell down to her shoulders. She gave a relieved sigh as she felt real air brush against her pale skin. She always took pride in her attractive features, but there was a time back when she was a slave when they were more of a curse. She was just a common "covert" whore/escort on Dromand Kaas, the capital of the Sith Empire. She would pose as a new handmaiden for a day or two to cater to female nobles who had secret desires. Nox shook her head as she thought of those days even less than her glory days in the Empire, often to the point of repression. She had to or she risked insanity. Especially when her thoughts drifted to… Lana. She wanted to forget the woman who stole her heart, it was easier than remembering and feeling the awful hollow feeling. It was worst part about her situation. She would never see her lady love again. Never again smell the woman's scent or the feel of her golden locks on Nox's face while they kissed.

Nox shut these thoughts down quickly as she made her way to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of Thessian Wine from the rack. She poured herself a glass and settled into to her favorite chair in the living room. She sipped her wine lightly from time to time as she pulled up a book on her Omni-tool. It was a Turian War Romance. The Avian like species couldn't publish anything without a simple reference to battle or the like. However, their novels were generally well written if a bit uniform in style. What mattered was that she practiced her reading more. Nox could almost hear her friend Ashara, a Torgruta and former Republic Jedi turned defector to the Empire, nagging her about not keeping up with her studies. Nox rolled her eyes at the mere thought as she read on. She finished a chapter before her eyes started to get sore and leaned back and set her wine glass on the end table.

The tone of her omni being paged drew her from her musings. She lifted her arm to her face and answered without using the view screen.

"Nox here, this better be important," she said with a hint of annoyance.

"Sorry Boss, I called to let you know to turn on your viewscreen. Something big is happening in Citadel space. I won't take up anymore of your time." He hung up shortly. That is what she respected about Forius he was generally straight and to the point no doubt due to his Hierarchy training. He made a good informant and handler from time to time. He always managed to find her work. How he did so, she never really cared to ask, what mattered was that he was karking good at it.

She turned on her screen and saw a batarian news reporter from one of the few of Omega's news stations. Batarians were by far the most repulsive of all species and not due to their looks either. Their government, the Hegemony, was built on the backs of slaves. Being a former slave herself her disgust for them was immeasurable. Slavery was one of the few things she wished to change about the Empire. A wave of sadness washed over knowing she would never get the chance.

The big news in question was a well-organized slaver raid on an Asari colony. Bold yet really stupid as the Asari planned to retaliate.

She began working on a plan to usurp Aria as she drank and idly listened to the galactic news. Drawing mental notes out and connecting certain elements of the plan she deemed the best. The plan formed marvelously and she began setting up the Sabaac pieces.

Aria's fall would be memorable, but Nox's rise to power all the more so. She had drawn up several blaster patents she had been working on. Her new holonet or extra net degree in chemistry saw to the final aspect of the plan which was the special gas the blasters used to create a plasma bolt. All in all blasters would be coming to this universe. Her plan was simple, using many various shell companies and the like, she patented many blaster designs, buying many old factories and repurposing them. This happened methodically, in different parts of the Galaxy to avoid drawing suspicion. She even pitted these new companies against each other in an effort to confuse the Shadow Broker. She did her best to make each factory automated as a marketing campaign of sorts. While blasters were making waves, she reaped the benefits and profits from every design. She even pitted the companies in law suits for the initial designs against each other.

In a matter of ten years she was the richest individual in the galaxy and nobody, not even the Shadow Broker suspected her. Her new Merc gang thrived as well, which she named the Tukata, a "fictional" creature in a successful series of books about an asari slave that rose to prominence in an Empire of space magic users that made her even more money. Ashara would be so proud.

Her merc band was _the_ , if not the most successful as well, using the best blasters, training, and armor available. The purple and black colored armor was feared and respected everywhere they were seen.

It wouldn't long before she decided to challenge the Queen of the Terminus herself.

* * *

Nox strutted into _Afterlife_ , a couple of her finest warriors flanking her, a krogan battlemaster and an ex-asari commando. Nox herself was encased in her armor which she had kept in a safe place after she arrived in this reality. It was all black, plated with overlapping plates of Mandalorian iron, courtesy of her best friend Teri. It had various animal teeth poking out of her gauntlets and shoulder pads which were taken as trophies during the war with the Republic.

She, her friend Teri and a whole bunch of Mandalorian's were stranded on a uninhabited planet for a month. It was interesting to say the least, leading her to develop a certain respect for Teri's adopted people. A black belt-skirt hung from her hips to her knees and finally a giant black poufy fur collar that went up to the base of her ears was wrapped around her shoulders giving her a savage yet still fashionable look.

The nightclub known as _Afterlife_ was by far the finest establishment on the old mining station. A large circular platform took up most of the center of the room with many asari strippers pole dancing around it as it spun slowly around. Aria's couch sat on the opposite side of the entrance allowing the purple skinned asari and pirate queen a full view of her domain.

Nox smirked evilly under her helmet and hood. Today this place would be hers. Aria would fall and Nox would rise to power in her place She had planned carefully for this day and an open challenge was deemed the best way to go. Aria would have to take the challenge or risk looking weak. Nox had also placed agents in the club, in case Aria simply ordered her gunned down.

She stopped just before the circular platform, garnering looks from all the bars patrons. Some even fled sensing trouble from the get-go. The music played for some time until Nox nodded to her Asari compatriot who used a warp to bust one of the speakers. The music stopped and you could have heard a pin drop.

Aria who had been lounging on her couch had gotten up and turned to face Nox. The look on her face was one of annoyance as if Nox were a mere pest. _She will not have that expression for long after today_ , Nox thought as she leaned to her side on her left hip and crossed her arms mirroring the Pirate Queen above.

"You know why I am here?" Nox stated.

Aria nodded, signaling with her hand to one of her minions. The minion in question, a batarian hit a few keystrokes on his pad and the circular platform in the middle of the club lowered. The asari strippers immediately stopped their performances, exiting the room once the pad had completely lowered.

"I figured this day would come. The first day a saw you, you had an air about you," Aria climbed down the stairs to stand on the opposite edge of the nightclub turned arena, "I knew you were trouble from that very moment. Not unlike myself when I first arrived here."

Nox signaled for her minions to stand down. They backed off to the edge of the room near the entrance. It was then a barrier rose around the dance pad turned arena.

"Today you will become another relic telling war stories in the bar below." Aria stated as they began to circle each other.

"Today marks the downfall of Aria T'loak, and the rise of Nox," Her words may sounded a bit too dramatic, but a little showmanship couldn't hurt. Nox allowed Aria to make the first move as a courtesy for being the one who was challenged.

The asari rushed her with a bioticly infused punch. It was surprisingly fast and well timed. If not for Nox's superior reflexes embedded in her half-enchani DNA, it would have connected. Nox took a step back and sent a round house kick into Aria's abdomen. The force amplified kick didn't penetrate the Asari's barrier, but it did send Pirate Queen skidding back halfway across the floor.

Aria looked livid as she sent one biotic throw after another at the Sith Lord who dodged the attacks running and jumping off the arena barrier. She landed beside Aria and engaged in a series of close quarters jabs and punches with the Pirate Queen. Nox had the edge due to her Teres Kasi and Mandalorian Martial Arts training.

Aria had commando training to which Nox in her encounters with asari commandos found very annoying. Regardless Aria still had centuries more experience to fine tune the asari techniques into her own deadly art unto itself.

Nox was blown back as she about to make an uppercut. The biotic pulse which erupted from Aria like a supernova slammed her against the wall and knocked the breath out of her as she fell to one knee. This was one of the more annoying aspects of this fight as she had to limit her use of the force somewhat. She looked up to see Aria standing there with a smirk on her face. Nox was then frozen in a blue stasis field that only a powerful biotic could achieve.

"It seems you overestimated yourself," with that the Asari sent a powerful biotic toss at the Dark Lord of the Sith. Nox narrowed her eyes, breaking the stasis she cocooned herself in the Force. As the biotic Flare struck her, she redirected the dark energy away for her form while the resulting explosion took out the section of barrier that surrounded the arena. People held their breath as the biotic mushroom dissipated.

Many stood shocked as the contender to Aria's throne walked out of the ploom of biotic energy, even her own minions. She looked no worse for wear.

"Impossible, no non-krogan could survived that!" Aria growled, sending warp at the Tukata leader. As the warp flew Nox held up a hand and stopped the ball of unstable energy causing it to implode about a foot in front of her palm.

Aria too enraged to see the powerful display for what it was, prepared to throw another attack when she was lifted into the air. The asari felt no biotic energy, or couldn't even see the telltale sign of an Eezo field. Before she could analyze her predicament more. Nox slammed the Pirate Queen down into the transparisteel glass floor.

Nox had been holding back in a sense until then, letting the asari wear herself out. Unfortunately Aria seemed to have an extraordinary reserve of energy in her allowing her barrier to hold and take the full force of the blow. Angered Nox repeated the action slamming the asari into the floor again and again until the Queen of Omega's barrier flickered. Thinking she had her, Nox raised the Asari up once more only for another biotic attack to erupt from the Pirate Queen. Again Nox found herself cartwheeling through the air. She was ready this time landing feet fist on the wall.

Looking up from her perch to see Aria standing in a crater on the floor, pooling her biotic energy. She looked at Nox with an animalistic rage. The Sith Lord hopped down from her position on the wall and waited for the pissed off Asari to make a move. She didn't have to wait long as her connection to the Force warned her of an impending attack that could potentially kill her. The air around the asari seemed to tremble as she was literally flung forward in a pool of biotic light. Nox cocooned herself once more only this time Aria's attack proved to be too overwhelming. Nox blacked out for a second only to find herelf imbedded in the wall of the club. Her armor held and again not for the first time she found herself wondering how the Mandalorian's could forge a metal so kriffing strong and durable in the first place when it held up under fire like this.

Aria stood not two meters away from her, swaying while turned toward the crowd apparently thinking she had ended her opponent. Nox recognized the small swaying as the signs of biotic exhaustion. She pried herself from the wall, falling to the ground. Feeling the weight of the armor for once on her body. She accessed her connection to the Force in order to stand healing any internal injuries including torn muscles and ligaments she may have gerdnered from Aria's attack.

Aria turned as the Sith Lord stood shakily on her feet. That infamous glare returned and she charged running full board rather raggedly with a weakly powered warp punch. Nox barely raised her fist to block it, much to Aria's surprise. The Force fueled Nox growled as she launched the Asari skidding back along the pad with a telekinetic blast. Aria stood up once more by jumping to her feet only for an invisible force to wrap around her once again. She fell to her knees with its weight as her struggles to get back up proved fruitless. Nox walked forward standing in front of the now deposed Pirate Queen.

"Omega belongs to me now," Nox said with haughty superior tone. With a wave of her hand she forced the Asari on her hands and knees in front of everyone in the room. Everyone looked on in shock and awe say for one Krogan who gleefully smirked at the sight of the Asari, the very one who usurped his position as ruler of Omega not more than a couple centuries ago, being forced to bow down like a trained varren.

"Don't worry, I'll let you live, you can tell stories in the lower bar with old Patriarch." The taunt was purposely done. She couldn't let Aria live, or at least live with her full faculties. It was too much of a risk. As she let the asari charge at her, time slowed down greatly for her.

Nox reached out with unnatural speed and gripped the asari's throat lifting her into the air. For a few moments the former pirate queen struggled before Nox viciously snapped her neck. Dropping the corpse to the ground in a heap Nox casually walked to the stairs leading up the Aria's perch and climbed the stairs to the large couch. She sat down and was surprised at how comfy the couch was.

"Hmm," she said before looking at her henchman climbing up the stairs after her.

"Send out the word of my victory and begin absorbing any of the Aria's former goons into our ranks." She smiled as she gave her first orders as the leader of the station. Her next part of the plan came next and finding a way to appease the terminus warlords into not attacking her new basis of power in a bid for their own gain was next on the list.

* * *

 **Alternate ending to Nox's fight with Aria.**

"Don't worry, I'll let you live. You can tell stories in the lower bar with old Patriarch." The taunt was purposely done. She couldn't let Aria live, or at least live with her full faculties. It was too much of a risk. As she let the asari charge at her, time slowed down greatly.

In that time Nox held out her hand, middle and index fingers pointing toward the Asari forehead. To the outside world it seemed like asari froze mid-punch, however more was going on the inside their minds.

Aria found herself confused as Nox had vanished before her final strike landed. She looked around the afterlife bar, searching for the damn pest of the rival. She noticed that everyone else had disappeared too. While she wondered what was going on, her thoughts were interrupted.

"Looking for little old me?" She turned around and what she saw confounded the asari even more. She had assumed that Nox was asari however this creature had pasty white skin and what looked like fiery red fur growing out of the scalp of her head. Her facial and physical features were very similar an asari's as well.

"Wow, if you stare any longer I might get the wrong idea." The armored alien flirted.

"What are you?"

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is you won!" The alien held out her arms, gesturing around her. "Omega is yours again," With that the strange alien disappeared.

Aria looked around taking in every detail of the nightclub. Everything was there including the grime in some places. She explored outside club and it was the same, not a soul in sight. This led her to panic slightly as she continued to search the station she knew like the back of her hand. Everywhere she searched and looked, she found no one. Everyone was gone. This couldn't be. She fell to her knees and let a scream that echoed throughout the seemingly abandoned station.

Outside of the prison that was Aria's mind, the real world continued on as Nox had assumed her role as the new Queen of Omega.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey everyone. I am wondering what you all thought of the battle with Aria. If it seemed too short, I'm sorry. I do believe that Aria could have dished more out. I did explain Nox was holding back because she didn't use the more flashy Force powers like lightning to not risk drawing unwanted attention. Essentially Aria also lost so quickly due to not knowing what she was up against.

Anyway I also want your opinion on the alternate ending. Is it better? Worse?


End file.
